How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 46: Fluren Acid (2)

Barrett rushed in, finally trying to pull Karl away from Fluren.

"Calm down, will you?! What the hell are you doing all of a sudden!"

"..."

Only then could Karl barely suppress the excitement surging through him.

He took a slow breath, staring hard at Fluren.

No matter the commotion around him, the man just kept staring blankly into space.

He’d flipped Karl’s entire world upside down with a single sentence, and now he looked like he couldn’t care less.

"...Haa..."

Karl frowned and rubbed his forehead.

'What the hell is wrong with this guy?'

The fact that the word ‘Earth’ even came out told him he’d come to the right place.

But at this rate, there was no way he was getting any answers, much less having a proper conversation.

Then suddenly, something clicked in his mind.

'...Wait, no way, is this...?'

Karl stepped closer to Fluren again.

He gave Barrett a little gesture to reassure her as she flinched.

"Sorry about earlier. I just want to check his condition, that’s all. Don’t worry."

He grabbed Fluren’s head, brushing aside the patchy, thinning hair.

That’s when he saw it—blue spots hidden beneath the strands.

They were faint enough that you’d never notice unless you were looking for them.

Karl knew right away he’d been right.

"Uh, um..."

Barrett fidgeted nervously behind him, looking increasingly uneasy with Karl’s strange behavior.

First, he barges in demanding to see her master’s face, then starts yelling, and now he’s rifling through his hair like a lunatic. She was seriously starting to wonder if bringing him in here had been a mistake.

Just as she was beginning to regret it...

"Does Fluren have any magical tools he’s been researching for a long time? Something like an ancient artifact, maybe?"

Karl’s sudden question made Barrett hesitate before she answered.

"He does, but why are you asking about that all of a sudden...?"

"Because it might be the reason for his condition."

"...?!"

Her eyes went wide with shock at the completely unexpected answer.

After nearly a year with no idea what had caused his illness, someone shows up and figures it out at a glance? Of course she was stunned.

"This is a case of mana assimilation. Though honestly, 'contamination' would be a more accurate term."

"C-Contamination? What even is that supposed to mean...?"

Barrett’s expression said she didn’t understand a word of it.

No surprise there.

Cases like this were extremely rare. Probably almost no one on the continent even knew about it.

Karl had only figured it out because he’d remembered a side quest from the game that involved something similar.

"Can I see the artifact Fluren was researching?"

She hesitated, then finally led Karl to a room down the hall.

He might have bad intentions, but he was the first person who’d ever claimed to know anything about what was happening to her master.

It was a desperate situation. She couldn’t ignore any chance at help.

In the corner of the room, there was an old drawer.

From the bottom compartment, Barrett pulled something out and handed it to Karl.

"Here, this is it."

A fist-sized shard of stone, glowing with a faint blue light.

Karl could feel the lingering traces of mana from inside it.

"Master’s been researching this for a long time. He said he found it at some antique shop, just by chance..."

The moment he took it, Karl just knew.

This was a Fragment of Dimension.

And then, the notifications hit.

[You have discovered a Fragment of Dimension. (1/4)]

[Currently inactive.]

[A new Main Story Branch has been created.]

[If you gather all the Fragments of Dimension, you will be able to achieve your desire.]

"..."

A new Main Story Branch, huh?

Karl frowned.

He didn’t know exactly what that meant, but one thing was painfully clear.

If he gathered all these Fragments, he could get back to Earth.

He’d figured as much, but now the quest had outright confirmed it.

'What the hell does this bastard want from me...'

Karl pushed aside his thoughts and turned to Barrett, who was anxiously waiting.

"What do you think the essence of mana is?"

The sudden question caught her off guard.

"Will... isn’t it? That’s what Master always said, anyway."

"Correct. Will. The stronger the mage, the more their mana carries their will. That’s why there’s such a huge difference in power, even with the same amount of mana."

Of course, Karl had never actually studied magic—he only knew this stuff in theory.

But it was enough to explain Fluren’s current condition.

Karl gathered his thoughts for a second before continuing.

"A great mage at the highest level, they say, is practically one with their mana. Their will is completely embedded in it."

"..."

"But think about it. What do you think happens if someone’s exposed to that kind of mana for a long time?"

Barrett shook her head.

Karl tapped the side of his own head.

"The will embedded in that mana messes with your mind. It’s like someone else’s consciousness slowly seeps in and scrambles your brain."

"...!!"

"That’s what’s happening to Fluren. I think he’s been studying this stone for so long that the mana inside has corrupted his mind. He’s got two wills inside his head now—there’s no way he could stay sane."

Even as he said it, Karl felt a wave of disbelief wash over him.

Just how powerful had the mage who created this thing been, for the leftover mana in a damn artifact to still be able to mess with someone’s mind?

But honestly, that wasn’t his problem.

Whether it was some legendary 9-circle mage or even a 10-circle monster, he ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) didn’t give a shit.

What mattered was something else.

Who the hell was the mage who made this thing?

'The word Earth... that didn’t come from Fluren himself. It was information from the consciousness embedded in this artifact.'

It wasn’t Fluren who’d recognized Karl as someone from Earth—it was the will of the mage who’d created the Fragment of Dimension.

That much was obvious from the way things lined up.

A chill ran down his spine.

'Could it be... another Earthling like me? Or maybe...'

Karl’s expression turned grim.

Barrett looked at him desperately, and asked, hesitating.

"Um, so... can you cure my master?"

"...Probably. I’ll do everything I can to help him, so you don’t have to worry."

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Her face lit up with relief.

"Th-thank you! Thank you so much!"

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the shop.

— Where did that bastard go?! That son of...!!

Karl and Barrett glanced at each other before heading out to the shop floor.

The two troublesome mages from earlier had returned, dragging a third person along with them and making a scene.

"There! That’s him!"

The mages spotted Karl and Barrett and shouted, fuming with anger.

The middle-aged man who had been standing with his hands behind his back stepped forward toward Karl.

"Are you the one who attacked members of our school with offensive magic?"

"..."

Karl didn’t answer. He just tilted his head and stared at him with a blank expression.

The middle-aged man clicked his tongue and introduced himself.

"I’m Philip of the Tozem School. A Rank-2 member of the Keramic Branch."

"Oh... And? What’s your point?"

"Hmph! You still don’t understand the situation, do you? You’ve attacked mages of our school! Do you have anything to say for yourself? If not, we’ll be holding you accountable under our school’s code."

Karl sighed and looked past the man at the two mages behind him.

They were grinning smugly, clearly thinking they had him cornered.

"What a bunch of goddamn clowns."

"...What did you just say?!"

As if he didn’t have enough to deal with, these idiots had to come crawling back to waste his time.

Karl pulled his ID from his inventory again and tossed it to the middle-aged man.

The man, about to blow his top, caught the ID and froze, eyes going wide.

"...Ah, Altius? H-Holy—!"

He stumbled backward in a panic, nearly falling over himself.

Karl could’ve crushed them right then and there, but he wasn’t about to waste another second on these morons.

He clenched his irritation down and spoke.

"They attacked me first. If you don’t believe me, we can take this all the way and sort it out properly."

"..."

The man shook his head, looking completely out of it.

Challenge a member of Altius to the end? That was a death sentence. Everyone knew how that would end.

"You said Tozem School, right? If you come back here harassing her about joining your pathetic school again, things are gonna get real interesting for you. She’s under Altius’ protection. If you don’t want your whole school to go down in flames, maybe teach those idiots of yours some manners."

At that, the three of them turned pale and bolted from the shop like they’d seen a ghost.

"Are you finished with your business here?"

Scarlett, who had been standing off to the side, calmly walked up to Karl and asked.

Karl shook his head.

"It’s just getting started. Do you know about a plant called 'Blueleaf'?"

"Yes, I do, but..."

Scarlett nodded, but looked puzzled.

Blueleaf only grew at the ends of the Northern Continent—it was incredibly rare.

But that was all anyone knew. Its properties weren’t well-known, so no one really bothered with it. Supply and demand were basically nonexistent.

Karl was probably the only one who knew.

Blueleaf was the key ingredient in treating mana contamination.

"I need it, right now. Can you help me get it?"

Scarlett gave him a strange look, but eventually nodded.

She didn’t know why he needed something like that, but HQ had given strict orders to support him however possible.

It was both to build a favorable relationship with someone who would clearly become a major figure, and because every one of his actions was potentially valuable information.

"You want information on where to get Blueleaf, right?"

"As quickly as possible. Do you know anything?"

"I’ll have to check, but since it’s never really traded on the market, I doubt there’s any info right now."

Even Herlando, one of the top 10 information guilds, didn’t bother tracking items that didn’t circulate at all or that people had no interest in. That would’ve been a waste of manpower.

"I’ll do my best to check with the local merchants and see what I can find."

"I’d appreciate it."

"Um, is there anything I can do to help?"

Barrett, who had been standing there listening, suddenly cut in.

Karl shook his head.

"Just the thought is enough. For now, just stay by Fluren’s side and listen in case he says anything else, like before."

"Oh, okay..."

With things more or less settled, Karl crossed his arms, his face hardening.

If no one had it, he’d have to go on a long journey to the far north himself to find Blueleaf.

He had to bring Fluren Acid back to his senses. No matter what.

He needed to find out how to activate the Fragment of Dimension, and hear what Fluren had seen in the mind of the mage who’d created it.

This was the first step toward going home.

Karl’s heart pounded with excitement.

* * *

In the meantime, Karl stayed at an inn near the shop, waiting anxiously.

Exactly ten days later.

Scarlett showed up with the news he’d been dying to hear.

"I found it."

"...!!"

Karl let out a breath of pure relief.

Thank God—he wouldn’t have to drag himself all the way to the Northern Continent.

"Can I get it without much trouble?"

"Yes, but..."

But what she said next turned Karl’s relief into pure frustration.

"...It’s in a secret auction?"